navy made the announcement in the first place. usually, it doesn't announce details about ships' movements except for port visits. this could possibly be due to the dispute surrounding the senkaku islands. the show of force could be for the -- for both china and japan. the implicit message could be for china to refrain from taking any provocative action and to give japan a sense of security. it remains unclear how long the "uss john stennis" will stay in the region before heading to the middle east. >> we talk about the ships now. is the u.s. plan to prioritize the f-35 fighter jet deployment in the asia pacific region linked to the senkaku dispute? >> no. there is no direct link. but i think there may be a bigger picture. on thursday evening, seven chinese naval ships passed through international waters between okinawa's main island and myoko island before entering the pacific ocean. china is stepping up its military buildup and increasing its maritime clout to counter the chinese moves. the u.s. forces are moving to implement a